Legacies are difficult to summarize, but coach Mike Perry hit the nail on the head when describing the 2013-14 Cardinal Spellman boys basketball team.

“Just the 2013-14 Division 3 state champs,” said Perry after his squad’s 61-51 win over Tyngsboro on Saturday at the DCU Center. “That’s as good as any legacy that you can have.”

Said senior forward Brian Donohoe: “(Winning a state championship) means that I’m always going to have a place in Spellman. We’re going to put a banner up right in the gym. I’m always going to have my place just like Joey (Glynn).”

Spellman entered the season as one of the favorites to win Division 3 and, despite a few bumps in the road, the Cardinals found themselves in the place many expected them to be. Now they are Division 3 state champs.

The Cardinals had plenty of motivation – and with it pressure – for this season.

Eight seniors, five of whom are starters, had their final run at the elusive state title.

“Us seniors, we knew this was our last chance,” said senior captain Ryan Roach, a four-year starter at point guard. “We weren’t going to have any regrets going into this game.”

Last year, Spellman bowed out disappointingly early in the South Sectional quarterfinals with a 57-55 loss to Medway.

“I remember that day and it was just the worst feeling,” said Roach. “We had high expectations last year and we fell in the second round, so going into this year we knew we had to just play hard every game.”

Said senior captain Rory Donovan: “I mean, it’s huge redemption. Last year was a huge disappointment for us. I felt last year we could have gone all the way.

“We’re finally state champs.”

This season, the Cardinals avenged a 2011 state semifinal loss to Watertown with a win in the state semifinals; they defeated Westport, a team that had beaten them twice last season, in the South Sectional final; and they eliminated Martha’s Vineyard for the second time in four years in the South Sectional semifinals in overtime.

“I called it the revenge tour,” said Donohoe. “I really think it was meant to be this year.”

And what will the 2013-14 Cardinals be remembered for most?

“Our heart,’’ said senior captain Austin Joseph. “We came back in those two playoff games from down by 10, we did it in the regular season a couple of times. Against Wareham, we were down by 21 – there’s (No.) 21 coming up again.”

The title is just the second in the program’s history, with the first coming in 1984.

“It’s a dream,” said Perry. “You wait all this time and it goes by like that. It seems like we were just in the locker room ready to go out. It’ll be a nice bus ride home from here.”

Said Donovan: “I don’t even know what to think right now. This is absolutely insane. Surreal. One of the best moments of my life, best by far, by far.”

“It’s destiny, that’s all it is,” said Roach.

Chris McDaniel can be reached at CMcDaniel@enterprisenews.com and followed on Twitter @ChrisMcDaniel88.

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